Carpenter&#39;s plane with interchangeable shoes



Feb. 23, 1960 H. H. GUYNUP 2,925,838

CARPENTERS PLANE WITH INTERCHANGEABLE SHOES Filed Sept. 10, 1958 2 sheets-sheet 1 fllllllllllllhl l Feb. 23, 1960 H. H. GUYNUP 2,925,838

CARPENTER'S PLANE WITH INTERCHANGEABLE SHOES Filed Sept. 10, 1958 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J Tij.5.

lltlllllllll-n INVENTOR. #42010 H. Guy/WP "nited States CARPENTERS PLANE WITH INTER- CHANGEABLE SHOES The present invention relates to an improved car penters plane. More particularly it relates to a carpenters plane in which the plane stock may be interchangeably mounted upon one of a variety of plane shoes.

A particular feature of my invention lies in the improved structure whereby the plane shoe and plane stock may be easily and quickly assembled and disassembled without the necessity of tools, and yet whereby a secure and tight connection of the parts is assured.

It is an object of my invention to provide an improved carpenters plane in which the stock assembly is interchangeably mounted upon one of a plurality of plane shoes. A single stock assembly may be interchangeably mounted, for example, upon plane shoes of a smoothing plane, a jack plane, a jointer plane, or a fore plane, to name but a few types of planes. Thus only one stock assembly and four shoes are necessary to accomplish the Work of four complete planes. The advantages in cost, reduced weight, and storage space will be at once apparent.

Another object is to provide a plane of the type described wherein the assembly and disassembly of the plane stock and plane shoes are accomplished without a the aid of tools. 7

Another object is to provide a plane of the type described in which the engaging parts of the stock and shoe are adjustable to compensate for the wear occasioned by assembly and disassembly and for the wear occasioned by use of the assembled plane.

Another object is to provide a plane of the type described wherein the engaging parts of the stock and shoe are easily and quickly removable for replacement when worn to a degree which hinders proper engagement and which cannot be compensated for by adjustment.

Another object is to provide a carpenters plane of the type described which is easily and economically manufactured, which lends itself particularly to mass production techniques, and which requires fewer and simpler parts than the planes of the prior art.

The foregoing and other objects of the invention are attained in a plane of the type described by providing cooperating wedging means adjustably and removably connected respectively to the plane shoe and to the "plane stock. Mounted upon either shoe or stock portion of the plane is at least one pair of wedge plates each having inclined wedging surfaces.

. The wedging means on one portion of the plane, which may be either the shoe or the stock, comprises one or more wedging bars, each of which is narrower at its front end than at its rear end, thereby providing wedging surfaces along both lateral faces of the bar. These lateral faces are reversely beveled, i.e., have an undercut bevel, so that the surface of the wedging bar abutting the plane portion on which the bar is mounted is narrower than the opposite surface which, in operation, abuts against the other portion of the plane.

#The cooperating wedging means on the other portion atent O M of the plane comprises, for each wedging bar, two wedging plates spaced apart and opposite each other laterally of the plane. These plates have their facing surfaces set at substantially the same angles as the lateral faces of the wedging bar. Furthermore, these facing surfaces are reversely beveled at the same angles as the lateral faces on the wedging bar.

To assemble the stock with the shoe, the wedging bar is brought to a position in back of and aligned with the space between the plates, and is then moved forwardly to bring the bar into wedging engagement with both plates.

By virtue of this wedging engagement, the force transmitted from the stock to the shoe during the Working strokes of the plane tends to tighten the wedging members together. Furthermore, the reversely beveled surfaces provide an overlap of the wedging members which prevents separation of the stock from the shoe.

Stop means limiting the relative movement between the stock and shoe is provided. This stop means includes a laterally extending, upwardly projecting buffer plate mounted upon the plane shoe and positioned thereon rearwardly of and adjacent to the shoe throat. The buffer plate terminates at its rear side in a shoulder rising substantially perpendicularly to the upper surface of the shoe. A buffer plate notch may be" formed in the base of the stock adjacent the forward end thereof, so that the stock terminates in a perpendicular shoulder which is adapted to abut the buffer plate shoulder when the shoe and stock are properly assembled, and is eflective to limit the forward movement of the stock on the shoe.

Further, the present invention is provided with means adapted to prevent disengagement of the stock and shoeby rearward movement of the stock. This means includes a threaded recess formed in the shoe and an unthreaded aperture formed in the stock and positioned thereon so that when the parts are properly assembled, it is aligned with the recess. A threaded screw is provided which is adapted for insertion through said aperture and engagement with said recess. The aperture is formed so as to have a diameter slightly greater than the diameter of the screw. The screw additionally is provided with become apparent from a consideration of the specification and claims taken together with the accompanying drawmgs.

In the drawings:

Fig. l is a plan view of an assembled plane constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 2 is an exploded view, partly in elevation and partly in section, of the plane of Fig. 1;

Fig. 3 is a plan view of one type of plane shoe con structed according to the present invention;

Fig. 4 is a plan view of another type of plane shoe constructed according to the present invention;

Fig. 5 is a bottom view of the base portion of the plane stock of Fig. 2 with the screw removed; and

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view, taken on the line 66 of Figs. 2, 3 and 5, showing the plane stock of Fig. 5 assembled on the shoe of Fig. 3.

Fig. 1 of the drawings illustrates an assembled plane constructed according to my invention. The plane is generally indicated by the numeral 1. The numeral 2 generally indicates the plane stock, and the numeral 3 the plane shoe. The plane stock 2 includes a cutter mounting or frog portion 2a and a base portion 2b which, in the preferred embodiment of my invention, are formed as an integral unit. In the assembled plane, the under surface of base portion 2b is in abuttingengagernent with Patented Feb. 23, 1965) the upper surface of the plane shoe. Blade clamp 4 holds blade 5 and blade chipper 6 in set position upon the frog 2a. Blade chipper 6 and blade 5 are removably connected by screw 7. The aligning lever 9 adjusts the blade from left to right, and the lifting claw 10 operated by-the knurled knob 11 on the spindle 12 adjusts the blade up and down. The entire cutting means including clamp 4, blade 5 and chipper 6 is held together by set screw 13. Rear handle 14 is held in place by bolt 15 which screws into stud 15a and by pin 15b. A forward handle 16 is held in place by bolt 17 which screws in threaded opening 17a. The parts mentioned in the preceding description are for'the most part conventional in carpenters planes and, exceptas they may be mentioned more fully below, form no part of the present invention.

The stock 2 is provided on its under surface, in accordance with the present invention, with metal wedge bars 18 (Figs. 2 and 5) having inclined wedging surfaces 18a upon opposite edges thereof. The wedging surfaces 18a are rearwardly (with respect to the cutting movement of the assembled plane) divergent. In the preferred embodiment of my invention, I have provided two such Wedge bars, one near the forward and one near the rearward portions of the stock. They are positioned on the stock along the longitudinal center line thereof. Wedging surfaces 18a are reversely beveled, i.e. as viewed in Fig. 5 they have an undercut bevel so that the surface of thewedging bar abutting the under surface of stock base 2b on which the bar is mounted is narrower than the opposite surface which, in operation, abuts against the upper surface of shoe 3.

Each bar 18 is removably mounted upon the under surface of stock base 2b by means of a screw 19 countersunk in aperture 20 formed in the bar and threadedly engaged with a recess 21 provided in the stock 2, best illustrated in Fig. 6.

-A notch 22 is formed in the stock base 2b adjacent the forward end thereof and extends laterally across the base for its entire width. Notch 22 terminates rear- Wardly at shoulder 22a rising perpendicularly from the horizontal under surface of the base and terminates upwardly at surface 22b parallel to the horizontal under surface of the base (see Fig. 2). The notch 22 is adapted to receive and at times to abut against a buffer plate 28 described below.

Two different sizes'of plane shoes, each adapted for use with the stock 2, are illustrated in Figs. 3 and 4, and are indicated respectively by the numerals 3 and 23. They are generally similar except for their size and'function and are illustrated to show more than one type of plane shoe, constructed according to my invention, upon which my novel plane stock may be interchangeably clamped. Each of the shoes shown has a general channel shape including side flanges 3a connected by a web 311. Each of the shoes 3 and 23 is provided with two pairs of metal wedgingplates 24. The plates of each pair are spaced laterally opposite each other. Each plate is, in the preferred embodiment of my invention, substantially rectangular in configuration, and has wedging surfaces 24a along both of the longer edges. They may, of course, have'other configurations and wedging surfaces along any number of edges. For example, theplates may be triangular in configuration with a wedging surface along each side. The plates of each pair are positioned on the upper surface of the shoe and are set at an angle to each other so that their opposed wedging surfaces are parallel to the wedging surfaces 18a on the wedge bar. Each wedging surface 24a is beveled reversely, as illustrated in Fig. 6, to parallel the reverse bevel on the wedging surfaces 18a of the Wedge bar 18. (Fig. 6).

Each plate is removably mounted upon shoe 3 by means of a screw 25 countersunk in a slot 2 6 in the plate and threadedly engaged with a recess27 (Fig. 6)

provided in-the shoe. Slot 26 is formed so that its-lateral.

dimension, as viewed in Figs. 3 and 4, is substantially greater than the lateral dimension of the shank of screw 25. This construction of slot 26 permits each plate to be adjusted laterally across the shoe and pivotally about the screw. The effect of suchmotion is to change the distance between the plates of each pair and to alter the angle of inclination of the respective wedging edges. Thus the wedging engagement between these plates and the wedge bar 18 may be always maintained by simply adjusting the beveled plates. Frequency of adjustment will, of course, be determined by the amount of wear occasioned by the planingoperation and the changing of parts. Further, it will be noted that by providing wedging and beveled edges upon opposite edges of each plate, each plate has a considerably longer life expectancy. One surface of each plate may be employed and intermittently adjusted to provide a firm engagement until such time that further adjustment does not produce the desired engaging effect. When this occurs, the plate is simply reversed so that the formerly inactive side edge becomes the wedging edge. It may be used and adjusted as was the initial wedging surface.

A buffer plate '28 is provided on the upper surface of the shoe 3 rearwardly of and adjacent a throat 29, the latter being the opening in the shoe through which the blade 5 extends. Plate 28 extends laterally for substantially the entire width of the shoe betweenthe flanges 3a: to conform substantially to the buffer notch 22. Its back face 28a forms a shoulder which rises perpendicularly from the upper surface of shoe 3. The upper surface 281) of the plate is parallel to upper surface of shoe 3. The forward edge 280 of the buffer plate is beveled to conform to the inclination of the forward face of frog 2a. This beveled edge formsa continuation of the frog and supports the lower portion of blade 5 when the cutting means areproperly assembled on the stock.

In the preferred form of my invention, I have constructed the buffer plate as a separate unit which may be secured to the shoe by one or more screws 30 countersunk in an aperture 31 formed in the bar and threadedly received in recesses 32 formed in the shoe. However, the buffer plate may be formed integrally with the shoe. The integral formation of the shoe and bar, however, considerably increases the expense of manufacture.

Stock 2 and shoe 3 are further interconnected by thumb screw 33 which is received through aperture 34 a the stock upon the shoe when, for example, removingthe blade for sharpening or reassembling.

The wedging plates, wedging bars and bufier plates, describedabove, are easily and economically manufactured. They can be beveled on continuous-run stock metal of the band type by the use of small double-headgrinders. The countersunk-holes for-the screw can be formed in the strip and the plates cuttolength-by a small high-speed shear press. Extreme tolerance is-permitted in the manufacture and positioning ofthe'various apertures and recesses by which thevarious plane parts are' mounted-upon the plane shoe and stock because of the adjustment feature of the wedging plates discussed above. This tolerance results in more economical manufacture, since less waste due to rejection of poorly manufactured parts occurs.

Assembly arid disassemb'ly Plane stock 2, constructed aasz above d'escribed, is; as-

substantial alignment.

sembled upon shoe 3, for example (Fig. 3), in the following manner:

The stock 2 is lowered so that its under surface abuts the upper surface of the shoe 3, and positioned so that the forward and rearward wedging bars are located rearwardly of the forward and rearward wedging plates respectively. The stock is then moved forward on the shoe as far as possible. The forward motion is arrested by the abutting engagement of the buffer plate and bufier notch shoulders 28a and 22a, respectively, as well as the wedging engagement of the wedging plates and bars. In this forward position apertures 34 and 35 will be in Finger screw 33 is then inserted through aperture 34 and threadedly engaged, finger-tight, in recess 35. The cutting blade and associated cutting apparatus previously described may now be mounted upon the stock frog 2a in the usual manner.

The interengaging portions of the plates and bars are clearly shown in Fig. 6 wherein wedging bar 18 is wedgingly engaged with wedging plates'24. The conforming relationship of the beveled edges of the bars and plates is clearly shown in Fig. 6. The overlapping interengagement of the wedging surfaces which are conformingly beveled results in locking plates which (1) make a firm contact between the stock assembly and stock shoe, (2) maintain lateral stability between stock and shoe, and (3) maintain vertical stability between stock and shoe, i.e. the stock may not be lifted off the shoe in an upward direction since the beveled edge of the wedging bar is positioned below the wedging surfaces of the wedging plates.

The purpose of the abutting engagement of the buffer plate and buffer notch shoulders is two-fold: first, it limits the forward movement of the stock assembly on the stock shoe and thereby prevents a wedging engagement so tight as to prevent convenient removal of the stock from the shoe when disassembly of the parts is desired; and second, it receives any sudden or hard pressure used in the working tool which might otherwise injure the somewhat more delicate wedging parts.

The assembled plane is disassembled by removing the cutter blade and associated cutter apparatus from the frog 2b. Next thumb screw 33 is loosened by turning with the fingers. while the handle of the stock is held in the other, and eased backwards until the units are free. Reassembly upon another shoe is accomplished in the manner above described. The positioning of the buffer and wedging plates and the various apertures upon a plane shoe will, of course, be substantially similar in all shoes, regardless of length or other differing characteristics, to which a single stock is desired to be interchangeably attached.

The applicant has thus described a carpenters plane in which the plane stock is easily and eificientlymounted upon one of a plurality of plane shoes. It is assembled and disassembled thereon without the use of tools of any kind, but merely by hand action. Yet it is a device wherein the assembled unit is in all respects secure and strong enough to withstand all of the stresses and strains to which a plane might be expected to be subjected in the normal planing operations. Further, the device as above described is adjustable, having adjustable and replaceable parts which substantially increase the life of the plane. In addition, my plane requires few machined parts and is otherwise economically manufactured by its adaptability to mass production techniques.

While I have shown and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, other modifications thereof will readily occur to those skilled in the art, and I therefore intend my invention to be limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A carpenters plane comprising a plane stock having at least one wedge bar mounted upon the under surface thereof, said bar being narrower at its front end The shoe is then held in one hand,

than at its rear end and having wedging surfaces along both lateral faces thereof, and said stock having an aperture formed therein; a plane shoe having at least one pair of laterally spaced wedging plates mounted upon the upper surface thereof each having an inclined wedging surface along at least one edge thereof, said surfaces facing each other and adapted to cooperate with said wedging bar, said shoe having a threaded aperture formed therein and positioned thereon in substantial alignment with said plane stock recess when said plane shoe and plane stock are assembled; and a screw received in said stock recess and threadedly engaged with said shoe recess, said interengaging wedge bar and wedge plates being efiective to removably clamp said plane stock upon said plane shoe, said screw and said apertures being effective to prevent rearward and upward displacement of said plane stock from said plane shoe.

2. A carpenters plane as defined in claim 1 including a butter plate mounted on said plane shoe rearwardly of and adjacent to the throat thereof and having a rear 7 shoulder, and said stock having a buffer notch formed therein adjacent the forward edge thereof and terminating on its rear side at a shoulder formed integrally with the under surface of said stock, said shoulders being adapted to abut when said-plane shoe and plane stock are assembled, said buffer plate and stock shoulder being adapted upon abutment to limit the forward movement of said stock on said shoe and eflFective thereby to limit the extent of wedging action between said bar and said plates.

3. A carpenters plane as defined in claim 1, in which the wedging surfaces of each said plate and said bar are reversely beveled, being inclined divergently outward from the upper surface of said shoe and the lower surface of said stock respectively, and said beveled surfaces cooperating upon assembly of said plane stock and said plane shoe to maintain said bar and plates together against forward and upward displacement of said stock from said shoe.

4. A carpenters plane as defined in claim 1, including at least two threaded recesses formed in said shoe and at least one threaded recess formed in said stock each adapted to threadedly receive a screw, an aperture formed in each said plate and bar, a threaded screw adapted to be received through said aperture and threadedly engaged with said recess, said screw, aperture and recess cooperating to removably mount said plate and bar upon said shoe and stock respectively.

5. A carpenters plane as defined in claim 4, in which each said plate aperture has a lateral diameter greater than the lateral diameter of said screw, each said plate being laterally movable on said shoe, said screw, recess and aperture being effective to adjustably maintain said plate in tight wedging engagement with said bar.

6. A carpenters plane comprising at least two plane shoes and a plane stock adapted to be interchangeably mounted upon one or the other of said plane shoes, said stock having a frog portion adapted to support the plane cutting means, and a base portion formed integrally with the frog portion; said base portion having at least two wedge bars mounted upon the under surface thereof, each said bar being narrower at its front end than at its rear end and having wedging surfaces along both lateral faces thereof, and said stock having an aperture formed therein; each of said plane shoes having at least two pairs of laterally spaced wedging plates mounted upon the upper surface thereof, each plate having an inclined wedging surface along at least one edge thereof, said surface of each said pair facing each other and adapted to cooperate with one of said wedge bars, said shoe having a threaded recess formed therein and positioned thereon in substantial alignment with said plane stock aperture when said plane shoe and plane stock are assembled, and a screw received in said stock aperture and threadedly engaged with said shoe recess, said wedge plates and screwand apertures being effective to interchangeably clarnp' said stock upon one or another of said'plane shoes.

7. A carpentersplane as defined in claim 6, in which the 'wedgingsurfaces of each-said wedge bar and each said wedge plate are r eversely beveled, being inclined divergently-outward from the uppersurface of said stock and, the lower surface of said shoe respectively, said beveled surfaces being adapted to conformingly and overlappingly engage one another upon assembly of said stock and said shoe and effective to maintain said shoe and stock firmly together againstupward displacemerit of said stock from said shoe.

8. In a carpenters plane having a plane shoe and a plane stock, means adapted to removably mount said stock on said shoe comprising, wedging means adapted to clamp said shoe upon said stock, stop means adapted to limit the forward movement of said clamped stock on said shoe and screw means adapted to connect said clamped stock and said shoe; said wedging means including at least two wedge bars removably mounted on the under surface of said stock, each said bar being narrower at its front end than at its rear end and having wedging surfaces along both lateral faces thereof, and at least two pairs of laterally spaced wedge plates removably mounted upon the upper surf-ace of said shoe, each plate being rectangular in configuration and having an inclined wedging surface along at least one edge thereof, each said pair of plates having at least one of the wedging edges of eac-h plate facing one another and inclined, 'to conform tothe wedging surfaces of said wedge bars, each said inclined wedging surface .of said wedge bars and wedge plates being reversely beveled so that said surface is inclined divergently outwardly from the upper surface of said shoe and the lowersurface of said stock respectively, the beveled bar edges being 8 adapted to underlie in wedging engagement the adjacent beveled plate edges and effective thereby to limit the upward movement of said stockon said shoe; said stop means including a bufferplate mounted on said-plane shoe rearwardly of-and adjacentto the-throat thereof including arear shoulder formed integrally therewith- =and a buffer -notch formed integrally with said stock adjacent theforward edge thereof and termininating on it's-rear side-at a shoulder formed integrally with the :under surface of said stock, said shoulders being adapted to abut when said plane shoe is clamped upon said plane stock, said shoulders being effective upon abut- .ment to limit the forward movement of said stock on said shoe and to limit the extent of the wedging action between said bars and said plates; said screw means including an aperture formed in said stock, a threaded recess formed in said shoe, said recess and aperture being in substantial alignment when said stock is mounted on said'shoe and said bars and plates are wedginglyengaged, and a screw received in said aperture and threadedly engaged with said recess, said aperture, recess' and screw being adapted to removably clamp said stock upon said shoe. 

